Sep 10, 2014

Gutter Oil Scandal Raises Food Safety Concerns Again

 
Local chains in Hong Kong are being pressured to tug merchandise from their cabinets as authorities examine whether or not they include gutter oil from Taiwan, the place considerations are rising over a meals security scare, officers stated. An investigation has been launched after oil from a Taiwanese firm accused of utilizing illegally recycled merchandise – together with fats collected from grease traps – was exported to Hong Kong.
Taiwanese authorities say a manufacturing unit within the south of the island illegally used 243 tonnes of tainted merchandise, also known as “gutter oil”, to combine into lard oil in a case that has reignited regional considerations about meals security requirements. The lard oil – a transparent oil pressed from pig fats – was provided to at the least 900 eating places and bakeries in Taiwan. The proprietor of the manufacturing unit has been arrested.
In Hong Kong, Philip Ho, an officer from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, informed RTHK radio that dozens of meals samples had been taken with outcomes anticipated within the subsequent few days. “The investigation is ongoing. After we noticed the issue, we’ve got been making an attempt to contact meals operators corresponding to importers and bakeries,” Ho stated.
A spokeswoman for the Centre for Food Safety stated that labs have been additionally conducting exams on mooncakes from retailers throughout the town. Mooncakes are in style dense pastries consumed in huge numbers in the course of the Mid-Autumn pageant, a standard harvest pageant that’s presently being celebrated throughout China. Popular bakery chain Maxim’s Cakes eliminated pineapple buns from their cabinets over the weekend after confirming that they had used oil from Chang Guann, the Taiwanese oil producer on the coronary heart of the scandal.
The chain stated there was no proof that the lard oil used to make the buns contained tainted merchandise, however it was eradicating them anyway “to be extremely cautious on meals security”. It has since switched to a Dutch provider. Dumpling eatery chain Bafang Yunji additionally pulled its curry dumplings, native broadcaster RTHK reported, whereas grocery store Wellcome eliminated two merchandise, a BBQ sauce and a noodle dish, from its cabinets.
The Centre for Food Safety stated it was liasing with Taiwanese authorities, including that it was prioritising checks on “cooking oil, bakeries, dim sum producers and snacks outlets promoting Taiwanese-fashion meals”.
In Macau, the town’s Food Safety Centre stated 21 bakeries and meals producers had purchased oil from Chang Guann by means of an area importer. Chang Guann has apologised for the scandal however stated it was unaware the oils have been recycled.
The scandal is the second meals security scare to hit Hong Kong this summer time.
In July, McDonald’s suspended gross sales of hen nuggets and a number of other different gadgets after admitting it imported meals from a US-owned agency in China on the centre of an expired meat scandal.

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